Indian Run Falls

A gorgeous series of limestone shelves cascades the waters of Indian Run ever lower, their fate to eventually merge with the much larger Scioto River.

I am all too often guilty of ignoring my backyard in favor of more distant and exotic places. Such was the case with the stunning Indian Falls Park, which is only ten minutes from home.

I'd been here, to be sure, but the last time was pre (serious)-camera, and that was probably 15 years ago. Lately I've been seeing some nice photos posted here and there of Indian Run Falls, and decided this morning was the ideal opportunity to visit.

There was a rainfall last night that added an almost perfect amount of water to the stream - not so much that one couldn't traverse the stream, but enough to create nice waterscapes. So, over to the falls I went, arriving shortly after sunrise on a cold - high 30's - blustery November day.

Accessing the best section of falls is quite easy. The City of Dublin owns the property and maintains it as a park. Well-maintained trails and strategically sited viewing platforms offer good vistas. I made almost none of these photos from those spots, but if one just wishes an easy ogle of the waterfalls, there's no need to get feet wet.

The upper reaches of the stream is punctuated with low limestone shelves, creating a series of small but very showy drops. This section of Indian Run is represented by the first three photos.

Soon enough, we come to the first big drop - a cascading chute that tumbles about 15-20 feet into a limestone box canyon sided by vertical cliffs.

Here's a view from the precipice of the chute, looking down into the gorge.

In a bit tighter on the same general perspective as the previous shot, but here we can better see the whirling eddy of leaves at the base.

I've moved on downstream for this image. We're looking back upstream at the chute seen in the previous two photos.

Finally, the namesake of the site, the larger of the two Indian Run Falls. This shot was created from the viewing platform at the top of the gorge. There's undoubtedly better perspectives to shoot this falls, but time didn't permit me to explore extensively.

If you've got a like for waterfalls, and who doesn't, I'd highly recommend a stop to Indian Run Falls. It's an incredibly easy place to access, just seconds off State Route 161, and minutes from I-270 and U.S. Route 33 in Dublin. I greatly look forward to a return visit. There are so many vistas, both great and small, that one could easily spend all day here, at least if they're trying to create landscape imagery. I suspect the place looks amazing in winter, too, when ice formations hang from the falls.